Concluding the first new-canon comic tale set between episodes VI and VII! As the Empire Shatters around them, Rebel heroes fight for a better tomorrow! Greg Rucka (Punisher,Cyclops,Wolverine) and Marco Checchetto (Punisher,Avengers World) take us into the more recent long, long time ago!^[1]

Opening crawl[]

SHATTERED EMPIRE Part III
The Emperor is dead, as is his most fearsome agent,Darth Vader. Yet scattered Imperial forces remainintact, loyal to the Galactic Empire, still willing andable to do the bidding of its master.Lieutenant SHARA BEY and her husband, SergeantKES DAMERON, have been with the Rebel Alliancesince before the Battle of Hoth. Their time together hasbeen rare and precious, and they once more findthemselves separated by duty.Under the command of General Han Solo, Dameronhas been deployed with his commando group, thePathfinders, in ongoing combat operations against theshattered Empire. Meanwhile Shara Bey has beenassigned a light duty, acting as pilot and escort forPrincess Leia Organa in an attempt to find allies forthe fledgling New Republic. It is this that has broughtBey and Organa to NABOO, the Emperor's homeworld.They are about to discover precisely how far Palpatinewill go to protect his secrets....

SHATTERED EMPIRE
Part III

The Emperor is dead, as is his most fearsome agent,Darth Vader. Yet scattered Imperial forces remainintact, loyal to the Galactic Empire, still willing andable to do the bidding of its master.Lieutenant SHARA BEY and her husband, SergeantKES DAMERON, have been with the Rebel Alliancesince before the Battle of Hoth. Their time together hasbeen rare and precious, and they once more findthemselves separated by duty.Under the command of General Han Solo, Dameronhas been deployed with his commando group, thePathfinders, in ongoing combat operations against theshattered Empire. Meanwhile Shara Bey has beenassigned a light duty, acting as pilot and escort forPrincess Leia Organa in an attempt to find allies forthe fledgling New Republic. It is this that has broughtBey and Organa to NABOO, the Emperor's homeworld.They are about to discover precisely how far Palpatinewill go to protect his secrets....

Plot summary[]

Operation: Cinder begins[]

Kes Dameron andSakas are conducting reconnaissance on anImperial Security Bureau (ISB) black site on theWretch of Tayron. AsHan Solo gives the go-ahead, they fire a rocket into the base, breaching the southeast wall. Dameron is nearly shot by ascout trooper, but is saved just in time byChewbacca. ThePathfinders strike team regroups before entering the base, and Solo tells Chewbacca to locateC-3PO to break the Imperial encryption. C-3PO protests that he is not programmed for combat operations.

OnNaboo, CaptainKorro reports to QueenSoruna that the planet is under some kind of attack from orbit, and that theGungans have confirmed typhoon-strength storms all over the planet.Shara Bey suggests toLeia Organa that it must be an Imperial remnant, using an orbital array to alter the weather. Leia says they need ships and pilots to attack the array and the Star Destroyer, but Korro says Naboo has no starfighters or combat-trained pilots after the Empire demilitarized Naboo years ago. Soruna responds that this is not entirely true—the starfighter-bay wing of theTheed Royal Palace was sealed off by QueenNeeyutnee after theinvasion of Naboo, but theN-1 starfighters it contained were still there. She uses her royal authority to override the seal. As Leia enters the bay, she feels a cold chill, and has a vision ofDarth Maul. Bey finds three operational fighters, but is not sure she can tackle the Imperial task force alone—Leia and Soruna also volunteer to pilot ships in the attack.

Thecommander of the ISB base orders the stormtroopers to hold off the Rebels long enough for him to initiate a data purge, but surrenders when his troops are defeated. C-3PO begins to slice the ISB computer system, and is alarmed to discover that an Imperial program calledOperation: Cinder is in progress, running across multiple targets specified by the Emperor—including Naboo.

Battle for Naboo[]

Captain Korro strongly objects to Queen Soruna's participation in the mission and suggests one of her handmaidens take her place, but she refuses and orders him to continue the evacuation of Theed city. As Bey and her two royal co-pilots take off, GovernorGesset advises that the advisory council estimates one to two hours before the planet becomes inhospitable. In Naboo's orbit, the three pilots see the satellite array causing the storms, and the Star DestroyerTorment. Bey takes on theTorment'sTIE fighter squadron, while Leia and Soruna destroy the satellites. Bey tells Leia that she has a husband and son, and that she doesn't want them to receive one of Leia's condolence letters. As another TIE squadron launches from the Star Destroyer, Bey realizes the overwhelming odds against them. As she states it has been an honor flying with them, the Alliance cruiserRestoration drops out of hyperspace, withLando Calrissian in theMellcrawler II and a squadron of starfighters, relieving the Naboo fighters.

Back at Rebel Fleet Command, Leia asks Bey why she didn't want her writing a letter to her family, and she replies that she didn't want to add to Leia's burdens of command. Bey is reunited with Dameron, and they embrace.